[Spinal tuberculosis or bone metastases? Case report]

Rev Med Chir Soc Med Nat Iasi. 2010 Jan-Mar;114(1):115-9.
[Article in Romanian]

Abstract

Tuberculosis remains one of the most important infectious disease worldwide and skeletal form has an incidence between 3% and 10%, depending on geographic area. The thoracolumbar junction is the most commonly involved in vertebral tuberculosis; some radiologic features are specifics, but other could be indistinguishable from that of lymphoma or metastases. We discuss the case of a 80-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of thoracolumbar pain, fatigability and fever. The vertebral radiography showed narrowing of the intervertebral disc space between T1 and T12, adjacent irregularity, erosion and lisis of vertebres, features visibles also on computed tomography. After the exclusion of the other causes of osteolisis, we started a standard regimen of tuberculostatic treatment and after one month of treatment the symptoms of patient improved noticeably. Other problems of diagnostic and treatment modalities of spinal tuberculosis are discussed.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antitubercular Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bone Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Bone Neoplasms / secondary
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Humans
  • Lumbar Vertebrae / diagnostic imaging*
  • Male
  • Radiography
  • Thoracic Vertebrae / diagnostic imaging*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Tuberculosis, Spinal / diagnostic imaging*
  • Tuberculosis, Spinal / drug therapy

Substances

  • Antitubercular Agents